The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-08
A VETERAN FINANCIER.
A Man Who Has Had an Interesting
Career.

A Man Who Has Had an Interesting
Career.
NEW YORK, May THE fact that Sid
the Wheeling and Erie railroad some DAYS
ago again calls attention to fnancier who
has had an interesting career. He is one of
the most popular of the moneyed powers
of this country. He traces his genealogy
back to the Huguenots, if that IS
a matter of any particular importance in
these days Of indifference to the isms of
sects Some OF his ancestors were Irish, but
none of them happened to be kings in the
Old days when the harp of Erin shed the
soul of music in Tara's halls Sidney Dillon
IS tall, well built, with snow-white hair and
whiskers, being now well advanced in years
He used to be n water boy on the Mohawk
and Hudson railroad and worked for a 81
week. In after years he rolled up a for
tune of $15,000,c coo, but he lost heavily by
the depreciation in the value of Union Paci-
tlc railroad stock After working industri-
ously as boy, carrying water pail to the
brawny laborers on the railroad for num-
Der Of years ana carefully saving his money,
as so few do, he was able to buy a horse and
cart, and then he carried water and sand
Tor the railroad He was brought up in the
humblcst circumstances in the village of
Northern New York where he was born
and seeing the wealth and ease of the large
farmers in his native place he was filled
with desire to emulate their comfortable
| prosperity, and not only that but to far out
| shine them in measures of gold. He worked
| night and day; Ire lived fIugally; he was a
| genial fanatic, as bent on conquering the
avenues to wealth as Peter the Hermit was on
despoiling the iDtidels of the Holy Land. He
| was all energy and enterprise, never letting
| a chance slip whereby his savings might be
| augmented. In few years he found him
! self able to hire or buy number of horses
and carts, and there be struck out in larger en-
| terprises. He gradually secured railroad con
tracts, which proved very remunerative; and
| in his Both year, when he married 81 very es-
timable lady of Amherst Mass. he was in
| prosperous circumstances This lady greatly
| aided HIM by the influence of a very superior
nature; his domestic life was at once a
| source OF moral strength and of encouraging
| stimulus. When he came to New York he
| devoted himself to railroad contracts; he
| built the Fourth avenue improvement tun-
mel, at a cost of millions of dollars. He had
previously, however, superintendent the
| building or the Union Pacific railroad and
in 1869 had assisted at the laying of the last
| rail. His emoluments from this work had
laid broader foundation for q successful
career in New York. He was at one time
! President of the Union Pacific and was suc-
| eeeded by Charles Francis Adams He has
| been director in the Union Pacific, Pacific
Mail, Western Union, Missouri, Kansas and
Texas, Delaware, Lackawanna and Western,
| Texas Pacific, Manhattan Elevated and the
Mercantile Trust Company. AT one time he
had registered in his own name Il, 900 shares
! of Union Pacific, 900 of Western Union
and 10000 of Lackawanna, not to mention his
holdings of other stocks. He has done valu-
able service for Jay Gould, especially in
connection with the Union Pacific, years
ago, and the Little Magician stands by
him to-day, though Mr. Dillon is not SO
powerful financially as in former times.
Mr.. Dillon's career, nevertheless, illustrates
the amazing possibilities open TO the poorest
| in this country
OSCAR WILLoUGHBY RIGGS